1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liquid dispensing devices and nozzles, and more particularly to a trigger type sprayer nozzle which is improved and adapted to spray in all directions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a trigger dispenser of the type involved here is a relatively low-cost pump device which is held in the hand and which has a trigger operable by squeezing or pulling the fingers of the hand to pump liquid from a container and through a nozzle at the front of the dispenser.
Such dispensers may have a variety of features that have become common and well known in the industry. For example, the dispenser may be a dedicated sprayer that produces a defined spray pattern for the liquid as it is dispensed from the nozzle. It is also known to provide adjustable spray patterns so that with a single dispenser the user may select any one of several emission patterns ranging from a stream to a fine mist.
Some known trigger dispensers also include a way to seal the dispenser to prevent liquid from leaking from the nozzle orifice during shipment or non-use. It is important to safely seal the container for shipping, product integrity, shelf display and many other safety issues. A variety of sealing arrangements are known. Such dispensers are generally referred to in the industry as xe2x80x9cshippers.xe2x80x9d It is also well known to provide trigger dispensers with a means to produce foaming of the liquid as it is dispensed from the nozzle orifice. Such dispensers are generally referred to in the industry as xe2x80x9cfoamers.xe2x80x9d Various types of foamers are well known to those skilled in the art.
Many substances are currently sold and marketed in containers with trigger sprayers. Examples of such substances include carpet cleaners, spot removers, personal care products, cleaning products, weed control and pest control products, and materials for other general spraying uses. Typically, such items comprise a bottle that includes a spray head attached thereto. The spray head includes a manual pump that is actuated by the hand of a user to dispense the particular liquid product in a spray or stream or foam to a desired surface location or in a desired direction.
The fluid connection between the spray head and the bottle containing the liquid is usually facilitated by a feed tube that extends downwardly from the spray head and into the liquid. The feed tube is generally sized so as to extend to a location adjacent the bottom surface of the bottle so that the entire contents of the bottle may be dispersed via the spray head. In operation, the actuation of the manual pump by the user creates a suction in the feed tube thereby drawing liquid therethrough for subsequent dispersion via the spray head.
Such containers typically possess certain inherent deficiencies that detract from their overall utility. Foremost is the requirement that such spray heads be generally horizontally oriented in order to function properly. In this respect, since the feed tube extends downwardly into the liquid within the bottle, tilting the bottle can result in drawing air rather than liquid into the feed tube, thereby causing the unit to loose function. In addition, many of the known spray heads have a built-in check valve. This check valve usually consists of a ball used to check or stop the fluid from returning down the feed tube. However, when the spray head is tilted the check valve ball can simply roll out of position and the unit will fail to draw liquid. In addition, the inverted container dangerously tilts the liquid toward the user""s hand and may leak through the vent holes or connection cap. Thus, current spray containers must be generally horizontally stabilized and numerous hand pumping actions are needed to refill the feed tube or to reposition the check valve. This causes frustration and improper discharging of liquid.
According to current construction, trigger sprayers are generally inoperable when used to apply a spray, stream or foam of liquid in any direction other than in a generally horizontal direction. This particular deficiency becomes more apparent as the liquid level in the bottle decreases. The deficiencies of these trigger sprayers are very apparent when the user attempts to direct the spray in an other than horizontal direction.
This inability to apply a spray, stream or foam creates significant difficulties when using such containers in specific applications such as spraying up under the leaves of plants, spraying pesticides up under cabinets, cleaning any horizontal surface such as ceilings, hoods or light fixtures, or reaching under cars, animals, among others.
In addition, many applications require spraying in a downward direction such as spotting weeds, cleaning carpets, upholstery, floors, or countertops, for example. One attempt to provide downward application of a spray is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,071 to Wright. It describes a spray bottle with a nozzle pointing in a downward direction. However, it is clear that this spray bottle is not suitable for spraying in any other direction. Many other applications require spraying left or right to some minor or major degrees of angle to reach the particular task at hand. Examples are reaching in ovens to spray all sides, or spraying all sides of a shower.
Furthermore, current trigger sprayers present a problem of reaching these particular spray applications by attempting to turn the user""s hand in awkward positions. To hold a heavy liquid spray bottle vertically to spray in different directions can be awkward, and as stated above, the unit may be inoperable in some position the user finds to be necessary. In addition, the liquid may leak onto the user""s hand or spill. In many prior devices, in order to dispense the liquid in a variety of directions, the whole sprayer unit has to be pointed in the desired direction. This often results in the user""s hand being forced into uncomfortable positions, as well as the spray being interrupted by air occasionally entering the inlet tube. This is clearly an undesirable situation.
Accordingly, there has not previously been available a nozzle connected or formed integrally to a trigger sprayer that is rotatable and directional to enable the user to spray in any direction without tilting the bottle. There is no known nozzle designed to swivel or rotate or pivot through angles up to 360 degrees, creating the ability to aim the discharge pattern in any direction the operator chooses.
The present invention provides an apparatus for dispensing fluid in any desired direction from a fluid container. It includes a spray applicator in fluid connection with the fluid in the container and a nozzle assembly positioned downstream in fluid flow relation to the spray applicator. The nozzle assembly further has conduit having an inlet end, a discharge end and a fluid passage, wherein an axis extending through the inlet end is at an angle with respect to an axis extending through the discharge. Further, the inlet end of the conduit is integrally formed with the spray applicator. Fluid can be dispensed in any desired direction while the container can remain generally upright or horizontal.
The angle between the axis extending through the inlet end and the axis extending through the discharge end of the conduit is in the range of about 1 to 90 degrees with respect to one another while the fluid passage is open. In a preferred embodiment, this angle is at about 60 degrees. In an embodiment of the invention, the conduit can be folded out from its retracted position into an open position, which may be achieved when the fluid passage is straight. The conduit can then be folded to where the axis extending through the inlet end is at approximately 60 degrees with respect to the axis extending through the discharge end, which is a frequently desired angle.
An alternate embodiment of a spray nozzle according to the invention includes a conduit having an inlet end, a discharge end and a fluid passage, where an the inlet end and the discharge end are connected by a movable joint in the conduit. The movable joint has a receptacle and an elongated conduit that have complementary contact surfaces and a central fluid passage. In this embodiment the fluid can be dispensed in any desired direction by appropriately positioning the movable joint.
In preferred embodiments the nozzle has a spray cap on the discharge end of the conduit and it is adjustable thereon to provide infinite adjustment of spray pattern or to provide a stream, spray or foam, or any combination thereof The spray cap may be constructed according to configurations that are commonly known in the art.
Trigger sprayers attached to containers or bottles which include the nozzle assembly of this invention are able to spray in up, down, left, right, straight, or any directional variation thereof, without tilting the bottle and will not loose function when directed in such manner. In addition the folding closure greatly improves the shipability and safety issues relating to positively closing the fluid passage. For example, the folding closure reduces the space occupied by a single container, resulting in more economical storage and shipping. Additionally, since the fluid passage is closed, this prevents leakage from the discharge orifice. The folding nozzle is preferably tightly received within a design or contour so as to provide some resistance when opening and closing the nozzle. A tight, well-fitting relationship between the latter components assures against inadvertent opening of the nozzle and provides a degree of child resistance, in that the nozzle is tightly folded and closes both the fluid passage and discharge orifice. The nozzle assembly greatly improves the ability to use trigger sprayers for many different uses including, but not limited to, carpet sprays, lawn and garden uses, cleaning products, industrial uses, health and beauty, and pet care, among others.